


Lucid Dreaming

by rinrin_obliviate



Category: Original Work
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Don't go here, Dreaming, English, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Honestly this was just a gift for my friend so if you were expecting fanfiction, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Lucid Dreaming, No Smut, Original Story - Freeform, Tagalog, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, This is an original work set in the Philippines, philippines
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-29
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:01:25
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24434773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rinrin_obliviate/pseuds/rinrin_obliviate
Summary: If there was something out of the ordinary in the life of Sydney Joy Alcantara, it was the fact that she could Lucid Dream--a phenomenon which dreamers, while dreaming, are aware they are in their dream state. Sure, loads of people had the ability to do it. It shouldn't be able to change Sydney's life, right?That is, until she had met a certain boy in her dreams--James Sandoval. Suddenly, the line between sleep and reality had been a blur as her world turned upside down.When the thread that held fate and destiny together seemed severed, will Sydney continue to hold unto it? Or will she, once and for all, break ties with it? And does the boy have something to do with all the sequential phenomena?Come to think of it, the boy in her dreams couldn't possibly be real....could it?
Relationships: Sydney Joy Alcantara/James Sandoval
Comments: 1
Kudos: 1





	Lucid Dreaming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [MoonlightWinterDXXIX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonlightWinterDXXIX/gifts).



> This work is dedicated to one of the most special persons in my life. Happy Birthday!

_ At kahit nabago na ng oras, ang puso ma'y nabutas _

_ Ikaw pa rin sa susunod na habang-buhay _

_ Ikaw pa rin ang pipiliin kong mahalin _

_ Sa susunod na habang-buhay _

-Sa Susunod Na Habang Buhay, Ben & Ben

  
  
  


_ First, she heard the voices. _

_ A series of murmurs, shouts and mindless chatter slowly permeated throughout Sydney’s mind, the soft, nonchalant voices gradually turning into exasperating noises. She felt an odd vibration wracking her skull, a sudden thud, and slowly, Sydney was painfully aware of where she might be. She squinted as she slowly opened her eyes, the sudden, glaring light distorting her vision. The girl propped herself up, realizing that she had been sitting on a compressed, uncomfortable chair all along. People of different sizes, genders and ages were brushing past her knee, each and every one of them blatantly ignoring her as they hurried to their own errands.  _

_ Of course, this was not a common, real-life occurrence for the 16-year old Sydney Joy Alcantara. As she found herself sitting on a speeding train destined to who-knows-where, Sydney wondered how a Grade 10 student like her living in a provincial sub-urban area would be able to ride Manila’s Light Rail Transit. After all, she would have probably received a long, agonizing sermon about how dangerous it is to commute along the busy streets of Manila alone.  _

_ The thing was, the predicted situation must have been plausible enough if Sydney was in a real-life situation; however, since she was a child, Sydney had already managed to draw the line between dreams and reality. Unlike those who were oblivious to the fact that they were hanging by a thread in between the dimensions of sleep and reality, Sydney had been expertly treading the wonders that her mind could create. Of course, she still did not have the ability to gain full control of her dreams like those people who were adept at lucid dreaming. Still, she had thought that getting full control and being conscious of your dream-self was better than rendering yourself defenseless, especially during a nightmare or a dreaded sleep paralysis.  _

_ The extent of her ability to lucid dream still had its disadvantages and weirdness, especially because she still had no jurisdiction over when and how the dream episodes were supposed to end. Whatever her subconscious had to offer her, Sydney knew that following along was the best feat she could accomplish. Sure, she could try and ride along the train and silently absorb the view that laid before her, but the cycle would go on repetitively until the dream finished on its own.  _

_ The best thing to do was stand up and try to find her way out of her new surroundings. She gripped into one of the rails, trying to steady herself from the momentary dizziness that was creeping into her. Sydney wasn’t used to walking freely along a moving train, so balancing herself was a bit of a challenge for her. She tried making her way along the bodies that were squished together, like sardines on a can. Sydney muttered no excuses, knowing that she was going to be blatantly ignored by every passenger on the train.  _

_ That was another out of the ordinary thing about Sydney’s weird sleep fantasies. Lucid dreamers or not, most people had already experienced literal, human interactions at once. They initiate conversations and pledge themselves to create a series of actions. For Sydney’s case, she couldn’t remember the last time she had interacted with another “human” being. Since she started lucid dreaming, it was as if she wasn’t a corporeal entity in her dream. Although Sydney was not like those seen through creepy ghosts portrayed in common Hollywood movies, she was a girl who was unseen and unheard of in her own dreams. _

_ She kept on squeezing through the huge throngs of passengers, taking advantage of her small height to stick her head through everyone’s shoulders. She could smell the putrid smell of sweat hanging on the air, but that wasn’t what mattered now. She clumsily attached her glasses to her face after it was left hanging askew. She was on a moving train, and her main goal was to head towards the exits rather than get herself stuck on a cramped, claustrophobic vehicle.  _

_ Suddenly, the train came into an instant halt, making the girl’s lean body jerk forward by instinct. Because of the sudden jerk, Sydney unceremoniously bumped her head into another person’s shoulder. The boy’s back was turned against her, yet Sydney assumed that the guy was relatively taller than her, or else she would have bumped heads on into him. She instinctively clutched her forehead in pain, worrying that the gravity of the “small injury” would result in a huge lump or scar in her head.  _

_ While cursing herself silently, she had noticed the boy flinch--out of pain or surprise, she did not know. Instinctively, the boy’s hand flew over his shoulder, rubbing it out of irritation.  _

_ To her surprise, the boy turned his head towards her. A mixture of irritation, scorn and indifference laced his expression. With Sydney facing him, she could faintly make out the young man’s features. The first thing she took note of was his eyes. Whereas Sydney’s eyes had a shade of dark brown that one would misinterpret as completely black, the man in front of her had an odd shade of hazel, brown eyes. She was partly drawn to it, only if it weren’t for the dullness that laced along with it. She also noticed the small scar that was dancing on the boy’s right cheek. The boy was wearing a hood that came along with his blue, checkered jacket. Sydney wondered why he was wearing something like that in such a hot, constricted environment. _

_ “Watch it,” the boy muttered, making a sudden eye contact with Sydney. He turned his back afterwards, walking alongside a maintained rhythm with people as they walked out of the train.  _

_ ‘Hmp,’ Sydney thought, as she got shoved around the people rushing past her. ‘Who the heck does he think he is?’ _

_ Just then, Sydney froze in place, a sudden moment of realization dawning into her. ‘He felt me. He saw me. He talked to me.’ _

_ Her first dream interaction. With an actual person. After the longest time. She was still grasping the suddenness of what happened that she didn’t know to feel. Heck, she didn’t even know what to think. Throughout her life, most of Sydney’s dreams had been dull and uninteresting. She wakes up at a random place; afterwards, she tries to grasp her way out of it. Her dream experiences were one of the literal what-if-you-got-to-be-the-only-person-on-Earth-for-a-day.  _

_ For years, she thought that it was better that way. After all, as an introverted young girl, she found herself comfortable with only herself and a book around. It would be a real deal if she were in a peaceful area, with less groups of people as much as possible. Yet, repeatedly spending what seemed like hours being ignored was not as fun as it seemed. The first time she woke up from lucid dreaming was the time she wet her bed. She suffered relentless teasing from her brother back then.  _

_ To be able to think that there was someone whom she can link with, was surreal.  _

_ It took another hard bump for Sydney to pull herself up to reality. After a few seconds of shock and daze, she did what she thought was the most reasonable thing to do--running after him.  _

_ It turns out, attempting a sprint in the middle of a loud, congested train station was a hard feat, especially at an average weekday in Manila. 5pm meant rush hour, and rush hour meant waves of different workers, students and employers were continuously coming in and out of the city. Still, it surprised Sydney how the mystery boy had already gone so far despite what seemed like a millisecond interval of shock and realization. _

_ Sydney had tragically accepted the fact that she, in all truthfulness, wasn’t the best runner in town. She wasn't even the best runner at school; still, she couldn’t determine whether the boy had really fast-paced strides or she was just a relatively slow turtle. She could only make out the lean figure of the boy wearing a recognizable hoodie. If it wasn’t for his very unusual attire, he could have easily been recognized as a non-existent shadow of some sort. _

_ Sydney didn’t plan on giving up on chasing after him. She leaped through a series of escalators and stairs, making her way out of the crowd by using her limbs and elbows until they were out of the cramped train station anymore. What followed afterwards was definitely not a better scene. Hordes of people stood in between them: some were carrying their handbags in front of their chest, while others were trying to bolster up their large backpacks and trolleys. Once, she had accidentally rammed herself in front of a skinny, old man who was probably in his seventies. Sydney knew there was no way the poor, scrawny grandpa had noticed him, but she still smiled apologetically as she saw the old man’s tattered, scraps of clothing that was on the verge of falling apart.  _

_ Sydney eyed the figure of the boy, straining her eyes in an attempt to locate him. Once she found a brief glimpse of him, she didn’t waste her chances anymore; she ran past through the local vendors, past rushing cars and pedestrians, past the dry market and its throngs of customers, and past the security guards. She was slowly getting out of breath, the claustrophobic area making it worse. She never paid attention to the fact that she was inside a local, substandard version of what people would normally call a “mall.” The floor was littered with stains of mud and footprints, while miniature tiangges and stalls were situated randomly on what should be allotted spaces for customers.  _

_ After a long time of pausing and practically sprinting through waves of people, Sydney found herself catching her breath at an abandoned rooftop. In an attempt to take huge gulps of air at once, Sydney had realized how her mouth had gone dry and raspy from all the unwanted exercises. With a tiny bit of hope left in her, she tried to follow the vague figure of the boy whom she had probably mistaken, climbing up on a narrow fire exit until she had reached the balcony.  _

_ Slowly, she absorbed her new surroundings. Old, dangerously assembled wooden chairs were packed up along the side of the balcony. It was hopelessly on the verge of falling off that one poke would probably send its pieces falling down into oblivion. Looking down, she could see a huge number of crowds littering along the sidewalks. Others were packing up their goods as the sun slowly bids them goodbye, while others were straining their necks in hopes for spotting vacant jeepneys and taxis. Kids, teenagers and young adults alike were carrying large, round baskets with stacks of food, bottled water or rags, squeezing themselves in between huge vehicles as the stoplight flashed its fiery red sign.  _

_ She had realized that the old building she entered was, in fact, near the seaside. Squinting, Sydney could make out the faint streaks of red and orange reflecting against the ocean. If she was in a different circumstance, she would have admired seeing the sunset at Manila Bay for the first time. After all, the simplicity of the view brought nostalgia and wonders to her mind. _

_ Instead, Sydney hastily wiped the trickles of sweat forming in her neck, realizing her efforts in finding the boy were futile. It was almost night time yet she had no idea of where she was. _

_ “Ughhh!” Sydney grunted, voicing out her frustration to an invisible force. “All of this, just for one, stupid boy.”  _

_ Sydney started to think that maybe the supposed “interaction” was nothing but a mere hallucination. Maybe she was slowly going crazy in her dreams because of the lack of people to talk to. Maybe the guy was addressing someone else. She didn’t know that there were endless possibilities and excuses that would probably explain why she couldn’t be here. _

_ That is, until she heard another voice. _

_ “What are you doing here?” _

_ Sydney froze in place. Okay, she was undoubtedly sure that she was the only person in that abandoned balcony. That wasn’t what shocked her, though. After all, there could be maintenance and janitorial grabbing abandoned equipment for themselves. Stranded people could go lost and end up there at any second. They could be addressing her by mistake, and she wouldn’t have any problem with it.  _

_ No, it was because the voice was so familiar. There was a sort of deepness in it, with an edge of lightness and shock in it. It was the voice of the man whom she heard at the train, staring and talking to her like an average person would. She slowly turned to the direction where the voice was coming from.  _

_ The boy revealed himself to be...different. His features grew distinguishable; the last, golden rays of the sun setting towards his pale complexion. He was wearing loose jeans patterned with the logo of a cartoon character on his t-shirt. His hands dove into his pockets, his thumb fiddling with the unwanted stitches at the edges of his jeans. Still, his gaze never left Sydney. She could still make out the hazel, brown eyes of the boy, along with his messy, ruffled hair that definitely needed combing. His chin and cheekbones were defined, yet Sydney thought that he was far from looking like a model. _

_ The intensity of his gaze and the gravity of what was happening was too much for Sydney. It confirmed all her suspicions, her what-if’s and everything. With her hair looking like a mess and sweat trickling off her skin, she must have made an ugly, first impression to the boy. _

_ “I...I-” _

_ Before Sydney could construct the right words in her mind, all of a sudden felt like falling at a frightening, breathtaking speed. She was falling down and there was nothing that could stop her fall. She saw the crowd gathering at once, but she couldn’t bring herself to care nor feel anything. Everything was a blur to her--the shouts, the people, the stalls and the sirens. She was falling, falling into the abyss, the oblivion, until there was nothing at all but her and darkness and- _

“SYD!”

Sydney jolted awake, her heart pounding against her chest. Her eyes flew open in trepidation, another layer of sweat forming on her forehead. As if the momentary panic and apprehension wasn’t enough, she felt a large, soft pillow hit her squarely in the face. Her hands instinctively covered her face, drawing up into her hair in frustration. 

“Maaa!” She heard her older brother drawl. “Sydney won’t get up! She’s probably daydreaming again,” he added, concealing a laugh.

“Oh shut it,” Sydney shouted, raising her voice louder than she expected to. She heard her mother’s voice shout her name in return, along with a series of stern reminders and scolding that she couldn’t bother to name. Sometimes, Sydney wondered if Jason was really the eldest between them, because he sure as hell didn’t act like one. 

Sydney let out another low grunt before bringing her pillow against her face, blocking the light and the voices that were slowly creeping up into her mind.

_ It was only a dream,  _ Sydney told herself, repeating the same mantra over and over again. Despite it, the curious part of her mind questioned her very thoughts, itching to discover the answers to what seemed like a real fantasy-like experience.  _ But then why did it feel so real? _

Sydney peeked from behind the pillow as she heard the creaking noise of the door opening, only to find the smug face of her brother staring at her, his soaking, wet hair leaving trails of slippery droplets along her room. He was wearing a large, oversized shirt and a bath towel that covered the bottom half of his body. There was a light smirk dancing on his features, and as a younger sister who was an expert of having an older brother, she instantly suspected that he was up to something.

“Good morning peanut,” he teased, the strange glint of his eye never leaving his face. “It’s monday, you know.” 

Sydney rolled her eyes before giving Jason an equally challenging gaze. “What are you up to?” 

“I think I should be the one asking that to you.”

“Kuuuuyaaaaa,” Sydney begged, wanting his brother to just go straight to the point.

“It’s 6’0 clock,” Jason chimed.

“So?”

“It’s 6’0 clock,” James reiterated. “On a Monday.”

“What the….” Sydney paused for a moment, staring at his brother like a crazy lunatic. Slowly the realization of what James was talking about slowly dawned into her, a mixture of dread and utmost panic swelling inside her. “I’m late!” 

7: 20 had always been the school’s official time, but for some reason, the management found a way to adjust the official time to 7:00 during Mondays, probably to make time for the flag ceremonies and awarding during assemblies. If it wasn’t for the nerve-wracking traffic and her scattered, unorganized daily routine, it would have been fine for her to wake up at 6:00. 

She jumped off her bed, not bringing herself to care about James' crazed laughter or her mother screaming from behind. She turned past him, past the dining room and into the bathroom, wishing that this time, she was not going to make a fool of herself in front of the classroom.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Birthday best preend! I'm sorry I cannot deliver your gift physically. Quarantine sucks, but we have to remain safe. I hope you enjoyed chapter 1 HAHAHAHA. This will be a short, multi-chapter work dedicated to you. Of course, there's angst. Also, I made fun with the tags so I'm really sorry if it's random. 
> 
> I don't know when will I finish it considering that I am crap with deadlines, but I already have things planned out ;). BTW, I delayed my Obliviate fanfiction for a bit just to write this original work of mine. You're worth more than any fanfiction LOOOL. Btw, I'm sure Albus and Scorpius won't mind. All my thoughts and feelings are in the letter owki? I do not know how to draw, so I'll just write. If there were any errors, forgive me. I had a messy sleep schedule yikes. 
> 
> Remember Multo ng Alaala? I had fun writing that with you. I really did, and I hope we could write more fanfictions and original works together. Who knows, maybe even a cross-over. This work is solely dedicated to you, so I don't mind how many kudos or comments this will take as long as you read it hehe :D Maybe we could publish this together in the future HAHAHAHA! 
> 
> Eto muna regalo ko, owki


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